For the love of all things apple and scrapple

Now entering its third decade, the Bridgeville Apple-Scrapple Festival kicks off this weekend. Go for the pork and fruit. Stay for the family-friendly fun.

Comment

By Christine Miller

Smyrna/Clayton Sun-Times

By Christine Miller

Posted Oct. 9, 2012 at 3:36 PM
Updated Oct 9, 2012 at 4:26 PM

By Christine Miller

Posted Oct. 9, 2012 at 3:36 PM
Updated Oct 9, 2012 at 4:26 PM

Bridgeville, Del

Now entering its third decade, the Bridgeville Apple-Scrapple Festival regularly pulls in 25,000 people who come for the pork and the fruit but stay for the family atmosphere and fun.

Here are a few events not to be missed:

1 Ladies Skillet Toss (1 p.m.)

Laboring over a hot stove with heavy pans, the constant stirring motion of some recipes and the weight of some ingredients can make for quite a workout some days. Why not put some of those muscles to work and show your stuff in the Ladies Skillet Toss? The contest involves heaving an 8-inch, cast iron skillet as far as you can and takes place in the practice field behind Woodbridge High School. There are two categories: 18-to-40 or 41-and-older and proof of age is required. Those interested can register between noon and 12:45 p.m.

2 Mayor's Scrapple Sling (2 p.m.)

With all the mud-slinging going on in this year's election, wouldn't it be fun to see a few local and regional politicians sling something else for a change? That's what happens with the Mayor's Scrapple Sling, a shuffleboard-style contest that sends fake scrapple flying, as competitors vie for a pig-adorned trophy. Local lore has it that past winners are pretty protective of their status and hate to admit defeat, making it the perfect festival spectator sport. The King of Sling will be crowned after the event, which runs from 2 to 3 p.m.

3 Down and dirty on the farm (all day)

T.S. Smith and Sons Farm, Delaware's oldest apple producer, will throw open the gates and give people a first-hand look at life on the farm. Take a behind-the-scenes wagon tour that explains apple growing and harvesting or play farmer for the day and pick your own apples. Be sure to stop by "The Packing House" to check out the freshly made apple cider donuts, homemade dumplings and various other locally grown items. There will also be a puppet show (10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.), cider press demonstrations, live bluegrass, book signings by Kevin Fleming and, for the more adventurous, helicopter rides.

For more information about farm activities, call (302) 337-8271.

4 Hogg Jogg (9 a.m.)

Bank a few hundred extra calories by getting up early and participating in the Hogg Jogg. The 5K starts at 9 a.m. Saturday morning at he Woodbridge Farm/Athletic Field. Registration, which will cost $10, takes place from 7:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. and included a much-coveted T-shirt. Special awards will go to the top female and male runners in each age group.

5 All-you-can-eat (7 a.m. to 11 a.m.)

Of course, the whole day will feature of feast of deliciousness with every possible concoction of apples and scrapple that inventive chefs can dream up. The food court on Delaware Avenue will tempt and tantalize with everything from apple dumplings to something called scrapple sand. Don't want to wait in long lines on the street for food? Then, get there early for the all-you-can-eat scrapple breakfast at Union United Methodist Church on N. Laws St. The church as been known to grill more than 200 pounds of scrapple slabs but breakfast lovers and early birds can usually get stewed apples, sausage and pancakes, too.